100 x 120 cm.
The COVID-19 pandemic has left Africa’s tourism industry without vital income as borders have closed across the continent. As conservation and tourism are symbiotic, one cannot exist sustainably without the other. The parks, and the people who rely on them for their livelihood, are being starved of the lifeblood of tourism with little recourse.
This weeklong special exhibition, featuring several performers, artists, and designers from Kenya and abroad, seeks to capture the stories and faces of individuals living and working around Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Northern Kenya, as well as the tangible shift in the environment from the bustling streets of pre-Coronavirus Kenya to the silence left in its wake.
Funds from the sale of the works exhibited will go to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a non-profit, UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Kenya that invests heavily in the livelihoods of its neighbors through programs ranging from education and healthcare to water and micro-enterprise. Lewa is a catalyst for change and a global model for community-based conservation
The Art of Resilience features works by Charlie V. Rose, Pie Herring, Migwa Nthiga, Anyango Mipinga, Elias Mung’ora, Dennis Muraguri, Paul Onditi, and Joel Kioko and is curated by Laura Day Webb. The exhibition captures the stories and faces of individuals living and working around Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Northern Kenya, as well as the tangible shift in the environment from the bustling streets of pre-Coronavirus Kenya to the ongoing challenges and resilience of Kenya’s communities.
The Art of Resilience offers a sweeping sense of the interplay between art, community, and conservation through the eyes of the surrounding community. The purpose of this exhibition is to shine a spotlight on talented artists whose work is less well known outside their home countries while fosteringa dialogue around key local issues highlighted throughout — and for a new audience to discover the merits of community-based conservation and its relationship to tourism. Funds from the sale of the works exhibited will go to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.
